I describe it as ‘lurking’ because the product first broke cover at the 2012 High End Show in Munich, Germany, alongside the likes of the Consolette all-in-one music system (which also took its time coming to the shops). However, lurking in the background of the D+M range has been the Marantz NA-11S1, a high-end network music player in the company’s Reference Series line-up, and designed to match the S3 versions of the SA-11 SACD/CD player and PM-11 amplifier. With the latest firmware updates, that makes either pretty much a steal. The Marantz NA7004, when it first appeared, was around the £700 mark, and can now be had for around £300 without too much Googlage, while the Denon DNP-720AE launched at over £400, but is now around £250. Those original Denon and Marantz streamers, while popular, have had a somewhat rocky ride in the market: features from the essential – gapless playback – to the fashionable – Spotify, AirPlay and the like – were missing when the products first appeared, and have been added in later updates, while the prices of both units have fallen to a fraction of their launch levels. Only now are the likes of Yamaha and Sony joining in the party: though both have had proprietary streaming systems in the past, now they’re conforming to the same industry-wide standards adopted by their rivals. Meanwhile their streaming systems, such as the Marantz M-CR603 – just replaced by the M-CR610 – and the CEOL systems from Denon, offer all in one solutions. The two arms of the D+M Group, Denon and Marantz, were a bit ahead of their rivals in this sector of the market, with the former’s DNP-720AE and the Marantz NA7004 each slotting into their manufacturer’s respective ranges. Linn and Naim are perhaps the best-known examples, with Cyrus joining the party somewhat later – the larger mass-market brands have been cautious in this area, and only now are we seeing signs that the whole music-streaming idea may be in some danger of going mainstream. When it comes to high-end network music players, the smaller specialist audio companies have led the market.
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January 2023
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